Donaldson adds to hardware at BBWAA event
Third baseman named Blue Jays' Most Outstanding Player; righties Estrada, Osuna among winners
TORONTO -- The hardware continues to roll in for Josh Donaldson, who was named the Blue Jays' Most Outstanding Player by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday afternoon.
Donaldson was a unanimous winner in the latest of what has become a long list of awards. Toronto's third baseman previously won the BBWAA's American League Most Valuable Player Award, the Hank Aaron Award, a Silver Slugger, an Esurance Award for defense and the MLBPA's Outstanding Player.
In other voting by the Toronto chapter of the BBWAA, right-hander Marco Estrada was named Toronto's Pitcher of the Year, Kevin Pillar picked up Most Improved Player honors and closer Roberto Osuna won the Rookie of the Year Award. The John Cerutti Award for goodwill went to former general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
The fact that Donaldson came away with the top award should hardly come as a surprise after he put together one of the best seasons in franchise history. He led the league with 122 runs, 123 RBIs, 84 extra-base hits and was tied for third with 41 home runs and a .939 OPS. Right fielder Jose Bautista finished second and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion finished third in the voting.
Estrada came out of nowhere to earn the top pitching honor in 2015. He didn't even enter the starting rotation until the beginning of May, but once there, he never looked back. Estrada led the AL with a .203 opponents' batting average and finished the year 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA in 34 appearances (28 starts). Former No. 1 starter David Price finished second and Osuna finished third.
The Most Improved Player Award went to Pillar after his breakout season at the plate and in the field. He previously picked up a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for his work in center field, and his highlight-reel catches became part of his normal routine. There also was a lot of progress at the plate after he finished with a career-high .278 average, 12 home runs and 56 RBIs. Estrada was second in the voting and Chris Colabello was third.
The Rookie of the Year Award was another unanimous selection, with Osuna taking home the prize. He was a surprise addition to the team in Spring Training, and despite never having pitched above Class A Advanced Dunedin, Osuna immediately excelled on the world's biggest stage. He took over closing duties in May and finished with 20 saves and a 2.58 ERA in 69 2/3 innings.
Anthopoulos received the Cerutti Award, which is given to a person associated with day-to-day workings of Blue Jays baseball who displays goodwill, character and cooperation exemplified by Cerutti, a starting pitcher for Toronto from 1985-91 who passed away Oct. 3, 2004. Anthopoulos won the award for his role in putting together the 2015 AL East champion team, his contributions to baseball in Toronto and across Canada, and the classy way he always dealt with the media and fans.